


Unexpected Company

by iwtv



Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: F/F, a short and sweet little drabble, another fourth wall break i can't help it, because no ship is complete without at least one cat fic, post-Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 07:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21095438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwtv/pseuds/iwtv
Summary: Listwalker and a cat. If you follow me on tumblr this should surprise no one.





	Unexpected Company

Anne opened the door of the cottage after another moan from Ann.

“Just a few more minutes,” Ann whined in the most adoring manner. She peppered kisses on Anne’s lips and cheeks. Each touch sent a tiny thrill through the older woman.

“I’d love nothing more, believe me,” Anne said in earnest, trying for a more solid capture of Ann’s lips and finally getting them, pressed tightly against her own.

“…But,” Anne continued, pulling away, “You know I promised my aunt we’d be home for supper and it’s already getting late.”

“Oh all right,” Ann relented, but she flashed Anne a smile and sucked lightly on her lower lip.

Anne sighed not unhappily and leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes swept over Ann.

“Honestly you must stop tempting me so,” she said with the slightest grin. That earned her another mildly heated look.

They left the cottage and started the path back to Shibden side by side, until something cause Ann to stop in her tracks and spin around. Ann’s voice was quick and excited.

“Oh! Look!”

Anne turned around to follow her gaze and saw that a cat had made its way to the corner of the cottage, hovering in the grass and watching them. It was a yellowish-orange little beast with green eyes, tail straight up in the air and looking unsure if it should proceed towards them or not.

“Oh, the poor thing,” Ann declared, crouching down and beckoning to it.

“Come on, little fellow, come here,” she crooned at it.

Anne looked at the intruder and back at Ann, surprised at this outpouring of emotion from her wife over a cat.

“It looks hungry, doesn’t it?” asked Ann, raising up. “Is there anything inside that it might eat?”

“Oh, well…just those sugar cubes left over from the other day,” said Anne slowly.

“But I don’t think cats like sweet things,” said Ann. “What if it’s starving?”

She looked in dismay at the still-uncertain feline, who was now sitting and staring at them, and then looked back to Anne, bright blue eyes filled with worry. Anne hated to see her worried.

“Can’t we bring it a bit of leftover meat or something?”

Anne opened her mouth to protest, but Ann’s worried expression intensified, as if she knew exactly what Anne was about to say. Anne sighed and huffed but in the end she softened.

“I suppose it would do to bring it something, if it pleases you,” she said a bit grumpily.

Ann beamed at her.

“Oh, good!”

So once they had returned to the estate Anne gave James instructions after supper to go to the cottage with a bit of meat and to leave it in a bowl.

*

The following day was rather busy, and one that kept them separated.

Ann was planning to visit some old family friends who had arrived in town. Anne herself needed to attend to several matters. Shortly after breakfast she began laying more plans for renovations to the hall. Then it was off to town for the bulk of her business dealings. She did not return home until early evening.

When she reached her and Ann’s bedroom door and opened it, however, she was shocked to find that Ann had very unexpected company with her.

Ann and the cat both looked at her as she swung open the door. Ann was crouched down next to the cat, stroking down its back. She bounced up like a buoy when Anne entered.

Anne looked from Ann to the cat and back again. And again. She waved an index finger at the intruder.

“What. What is that…doing _here_?”

“Don’t be cross!” said Ann, inching towards Anne carefully but with a devastatingly hopeful gaze in her eyes. “I know you don’t approve, but…”

Ann looked at the cat almost lovingly. She crossed over to it and picked it up. It opened its mouth and made a half-hearted meow, nuzzling Ann’s arms with its head. Ann brought it over to Anne, who leaned away from it. She blinked at Ann, confused. Ann brought the cat right up to Anne’s arm the way one might present a baby to be held.

“Please Anne, just pet him once? He’s a sweetheart and he deserves a safe place with food and shelter,” she added, becoming more firm with each word.

Anne tried hard not to let her face crinkle up. Cautiously she reached out and patted the cat’s head awkwardly. To her surprise the thing didn’t hiss or growl at her but instead purred and, after it had sniffed her fingers several times, allowed Anne to stroke its head more naturally. Its fur was thin and smooth and rather soft at the nape of its neck. She looked at Ann with a frown and disapproving eyes, or at least she tried to.

“It stays outside,” she said curtly.

Ann face’s lit up. “Yes!”

“It can help with the rats and mice…”

“Oh yes!”

“…I don’t want it--_him_\--around the horses.”

“No!”

“And he better never bite or scratch me.”

“Never!”

Anne stopped. Ann was quite pleased, though now she was looking at Ann a bit from under her brow with a more heated gaze of appreciation.

*

Two days later Ann came inside after a long but pleasant day in the garden of sketching in her notebook. She chatted briefly with Ms. Cordingley and then headed upstairs, notebook tucked under her arm. She had hoped to catch sight of their newest pet, but to her dismay he wasn’t anywhere to be found. She worried he might have been frightened off by the dogs and intended to raise the matter to Anne.

As she reached the landing and started towards their bedroom, however, she heard small scuffling noises and then the low but distinctive sound of Anne murmuring.

Intrigued, Ann didn’t call out as she approached the door. It was halfway open. She inched her way to look inside. There, on the carpet, sat her wife and the cat. Anne was dangling a bit of kitchen twine over its head. The cat jumped on its back legs, paw curled out to swat at the string. It lost its balance but quickly made a circle, rubbing itself against Anne’s black skirt. She murmured more to it as if it were a baby, petting and stroking it. Ann cleared her throat, leaning on the doorjamb and crossing her arms.

“Well well well,” she stated.

Anne’s eyes widened, mouth loosely open as she rose and dusted off her skirt. Ann bit down on her cheeks to keep from outright laughing.

“I was just…checking him for fleas,” Anne stated quickly.

Ann entered the room. The cat jogged over to her and rubbed against her shoes.

“And you thought it necessary to bring him inside, to our bedroom, to perform such a check?” Ann pressed on, still grinning as she bent down and picked up the creature.

“No, I didn’t…”

“But you did.”

“Yes. No. I mean, I didn’t realize he’d followed me in…”

“You brought him in.”

Seeing her wife at almost a total loss for words was delightfully hilarious. Anne finally let out a sigh. She tried hard to frown but it wouldn’t do. Ann finally laughed.

“You like him, admit it!”

Anne reached out and petted the cat’s head. It purred loudly in Ann’s arms.

“Yes well, he’ll do,” Anne said with a smile.

“Good,” Ann replied softly, moving in for a kiss.

Anne looked over her shoulder and quirked her eyebrows, shrugging. Ann twisted to follow her gaze.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

***


End file.
